St. Jude, Komen most trusted charities

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Susan G. Komen for the Cure are the two most-trusted charitable brands, a new study says.

In Harris Interactive’s 2010 EquiTrend poll, St. Jude ranked first and Komen for the Cure ranked second in trust among all charities, followed by the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Doctors without Borders, The Smithsonian, Make-a-Wish Foundation, Habitat for Humanity International, and Heifer Project International.

St. Jude and Komen also ranked among the 10 most-trusted of all 1,151 brands Harris studied across 42 categories.

“The trust that the general public places in nonprofits is paramount to their success as enduring and powerful brands,” Justin Greeves, senior vice president of public affairs at Harris Interactive, says in a statement.

“Those that deliver well on their promises and missions stand the test of time,” he says. “In the context of this brand evaluation, trust should be viewed as both a concrete organizational trait and a point of emotional connection with supporters and those in need of help and assistance.”

In the category of “brand equity,” which takes into account dimensions of a nonprofit such as familiarity, quality and the likelihood to donate, Komen for the Cure ranked first and St. Jude ranked second, followed by American Red Cross, Cleveland Clinic, American Cancer Society, Salvation Army, Mayo Clinic, The Smithsonian, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Goodwill Industries.

“These top-performing nonprofit brands are not only well-known, but have created powerful and personal relationships with donors, the public, governments and other nonprofit stakeholders,” Greeves says. “They are working to solve many of society’s most complex and relevant problems in efficient, new and innovative ways and have achieved personal relevance in many of our lives – that is why they are at the top.”

Komen for the Cure and the American Cancer Society ranked first and second among the 10 nonprofits to which people are most likely to donate, followed by St. Jude, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Cleveland Clinic, Heifer Project International, Make-A-Wish, Mayo and American Red Cross.